It's been another very busy year for the Smarter Travel Workplaces Team! As of December 2013, 117 employers, comprising over 288,300 students and employees, were engaged in the Smarter Travel Workplaces and Smarter Travel Campus programmes. More and more Partners are moving towards monitoring, having achieved a huge number of actions over the past year.

We have really enjoyed working with you and your employees and students and we look forward to further engaging with your workplace in 2014.

We have lots of events planned for 2014, we will send you a copy of our calendar at the start of January. If you would like to suggest a topic for an event or seminar please get in touch, email info@smartertravelworkplaces.ie

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas!

Best wishes,

The Smarter Travel Workplaces Team

Pedometer Challenge 2013 Winning Team - 'Walking on the Wild Side' from St. Vincent's University Hospital

Sinead Flavin, Smarter Travel Workplaces Facilitator

We Welcome Sinead Flavin to the Team!

The Smarter Travel Workplaces Team would like to welcome and introduce you to our new colleague Sinead Flavin. Sinead has significant experience in implementing and supporting Smart Travel Planning initiatives in Ireland and internationally. Read more... Sinead will support Smarter Travel Workplaces Partners, such as yourself, in implementing your Smarter Travel action plan. Sinead will also be involved in the annual Pedometer and Cycle Challenges.

News and Events

If You’re Happy and You Know It, Walk to Work!

12/12/2013

Over 50% of walkers say they feel good about themselves! More than 1 billion steps were taken by 4,250 participants from 56 of Ireland’s largest workplaces as part of the Smarter Travel Workplaces ‘Pedometer Challenge’ 2013. By ditching their car and making the healthy choice, those taking part travelled over 900,000 km on foot and reported feeling fit and good about themselves! The overall winner of the Smarter Travel Workplaces ‘Pedometer Challenge’ was ‘Walking on the Wild Side’ from St Vincent’s University Hospital who clocked up an impressive team average of 939,145 steps over 4 weeks... Read more

Ireland has had its entire public transport system mapped on Google Maps, meaning commuters and tourists can now easily plan trips and journeys anywhere in Ireland, from door-to-door. Google Maps Transit is now live in Ireland as a result of a partnership between Google and the National Transport Authority. Read more

Useful Christmas Travel Information for Dublin

12/12/2013

Operation Open City will run in the Dublin region from December 8th to 24th. There will be additional DART, Luas, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann services including extra night time Public Transport during this time. There will also be targeted Garda assistance in the City Centre and at transport nodes to ensure everything runs smoothly during the festive season. For useful information on Traffic and Travel News, Night Services, Timetables & Events in Dublin visit www.transportforireland.ie/traffic-travel-news/. You might also like to make this information available to your colleagues through your email lists and company intranet.

Be Safe Be Seen This Winter

12/12/2013

As the evenings are turning darker earlier it’s important to remember to make yourself visible at all times, but particularly when cycling in the dark. As well as being vital for safety it is also a legal requirement that you have a white front light, a red back light and a rear reflector on your bike. You may also like to consider wearing a reflective ‘high -visibility’ jacket or reflective strips on clothing. Read more

The Things We Leave Behind on Public Transport

12/12/2013

Did you ever leave an umbrella on the bus and wonder what else might get left behind on Public Transport?! Read on to see the top 10 and some of the more bizzare items that have been left behind! Read more

Park and Ride Comes to Galway

12/12/2013

The annual Christmas Park and Ride started on Saturday November 30 at 7:00am. Similar to previous years, the service operates from Ballybrit Racecourse shuttling passengers to the Coach Station terminus in Eyre Square every 15 minutes. Read more

The redevelopment of the Mater Campus commenced in 2009 on the site of the existing car park that served staff, patients and visitors. Prior to the redevelopment of the Mater Campus the hospital recognized the need for developing a strategy focusing on travel alternatives, be it public transport, carsharing, walking or cycling. The hospital adopted a strategic approach to reduce the number of cars accessing the site and a Travel Plan was put in place to address car reliance and parking. Read more...

Results: 30% reduction in car use, increases in Rail/Luas from 2% to 9%, Bus from 12% to 25%, Cycling from 3% to 10%. Staff participating in the public transport Taxsaver Tickets scheme increased by over 500%. Read more...